He may have a little less facial hair and a lot less jewelry, but Collin Hart (4-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was basically his hometown’s version of Kimbo Slice.

“I was pretty well known for it in my high school,” Hart reluctantly admitted to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I was always taking on two or three people at a time. To find challengers, I would have to make up something crazy like put one arm behind my back or take on multiple opponents.

“At the time, I guess I was pretty much the local Kimbo Slice.”

Of course, the thriving metropolis of Sebastopol, Calif., may not have presented Hart with the greatest depth of challengers, but it served as his introduction to martial arts. One of six children and a self-admitted quiet guy, Hart said he was always into martial arts movies. However, his experimentation with the forms was limited to his backyard brawling until he finally took up wrestling in his senior year of high school.

From there, it was on to jiu-jitsu at Dave Terrel’s famed NorCal Fighting Alliance. Hart was a quick learner, and after just two amateur bouts, Terrel supported his move to the professional ranks.

“There was really no question or any second thought about it,” Hart said. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to do for a little while. I was excited to get the offer so fast. Some people had to train for years before a coach would let them fight. I was happy to jump on the opportunity.”

Hart found early success on California’s regional scene, piling up a 4-1-1 record that included controversial loss to Ryan Wong, as well as an odd draw against “The Ultimate Fighter 11” cast member Joseph Henle. In the meantime, he supplements his income with work as a bouncer.

But now, Hart finds himself with the biggest opportunity of his professional career as one of 14 cast members of “The Ultimate Fighter” with a chance to win a contract with the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

It’s a series Hart has followed since it’s inception.

“I was just a punk little teenager thinking, ‘Oh, I can do that,'” Hart said. “Now I’m doing it.”

The days of backyard boxing are well behind, and Hart admits largely, too, is his love of martial arts movies.

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter 17” preliminary-round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of “TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen.” Two new interviews will be released each day until the season’s second episode airs on Jan. 29.